`Spiderman' Denied Bail In Burglaries In West Palm Beach

June 6, 1996|By MIKE FOLKS Staff Writer

George Kleinbach escaped from an antiques shop he had broken into and jumped from a second-story window before he was captured, police say. The burglary suspect police dubbed Spiderman was denied bail on Wednesday.

George A. Kleinbach, 34, got his nickname because of a spider tattoo on his neck and a web tattoo covering his elbow and wrist. Police said he once leapt from a second story window of a shop he had burglarized.

Kleinbach was well-known on the south side of West Palm Beach. On Wednesday, four antiques dealers came to court to speak out against freeing him.

They never spoke. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Howard Berman ordered Kleinbach held without bail after prosecutors spent nearly five minutes reading his lengthy criminal history into the court record.

"His record spoke for itself," said Rod Tinson, owner of Tinson Antiques in West Palm Beach, where Kleinbach was arrested on May 11 during a break-in. "If he tries [to get out on bail) again, we'll be back."

The night of Kleinbach's arrest, Tinson's partner, Steve Allred, said he was hiding out inside the antiques shop. They had lost an estimated $300,000 in merchandise in three previous break-ins in March and April at their shop at 702 S. Dixie Highway.

Allred, accompanied by his cocker spaniel and a semiautomatic pistol, called 911 after hearing someone break into the store.

Police said Kleinbach escaped from the antiques shop and jumped from a second-story window before he was captured by police officers and tracking dogs.

"I feel much safer. There's no doubt in my mind he would do his utmost to keep me from testifying," Allred said.

Prosecutors said they want to keep Kleinbach behind bars because of his criminal past and the outcry for justice from those living in the southside section of the city, where police said Kleinbach is an active burglar.

Mike Edmondson, spokesman for the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, said prosecutors have received 140 letters and facsimilies from outraged members of two homeowners associations.

"We intend to use them in the prosecution," Edmondson said. "The court has to know how victimized this neighborhood has been."

At the time of his arrest, Kleinbach was out on bail for driving with a suspended license, carrying a concealed firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His criminal record includes numerous drug and burglary convictions, as well as one for battery on a law enforcement officer.

Should Kleinbach be convicted in the break-in, Edmondson said prosecutors will try to have him sentenced as a habitual offender to see that he spends a long time behind bars.